A very bad idea
by AgentOfShip
Summary: After a really bad break-up, Jemma Simmons let her friends convince her to go to a bar to meet someone. And even though she goes in thinking it's a bad idea, she might end up changing her mind altogether when she goes towards grumpy looking Leo Fitz hoping she'll be rejected and go home early. FitzSimmons AU. Rated M for smut but with a lot of fluff too!


**This started out as a small light one shot and it got a bit longer than I thought. I'm currently writing another longer story and I wanted to take a break with something lighter. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you'll like it!**  
 **As always, reviews are much appreciated and the characters all belong to Marvel.** __

 _It's a bad idea, it's a very very bad idea_. Jemma tells herself as she pushes the door to the bar, closely followed by her friends Daisy and Bobbi. She promised herself she would never again agree to Daisy's plans anymore, when it has anything to do with her love life. Not after the disaster that was her blind date with that Milton guy. But last night, she was tired and vulnerable and with the right amount of alcohol, her friend actually managed to make it sound like a good idea. Even Bobbi, who's less prone to catastrophic plans, said it couldn't hurt to try. So here she is in a crowded bar, on a friday night, wearing extremely uncomfortable clothes and supposedly on the lookout for some casual rebound sex.

Jemma's last relationship was a disaster and the breakup that followed even worse. So after almost two months of hearing her complain about it and repeatedly saying she might as well give up on men altogether, Daisy came up with an idea. It wasn't only this relationship that ended badly but most of Jemma's relationships over the last few years so Daisy had suggested that maybe she should try casual sex for once. Just a little carefree fun to lift her spirits until she was ready to date again. It couldn't do any harm right? Of course her alcohol addled brain didn't see a flaw in that plan but once sober and about to actually act on it, she realizes that she actually has no desire to have sex with anyone tonight. The little moment of pleasure she might get from it isn't worth the effort of flirting and pretending to be interested in what some stupid meathead would have to say.

The bar really is quite packed and the three women have to abandon hope of getting a table and settle for stools at the bar. Once they manage to get their drinks, the conversation almost immediately shifts to Jemma and her supposed plans for the night.

"So Jemma ... are you seing anything interesting?" Daisy asks with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Mmmh I don't know, I don't really feel good about this anymore." Jemma answers without even turning to take a look around the room.

"Come on Jem, don't be a chicken. You could at least take a look. I'm seing a few hot guys here and you could have any one of them with that dress and that posh english accent Americans are crazy about!" Daisy says and even though Jemma knows Daisy is only saying that to convince her, she cannot help smiling at the compliment.

"Yeah Jemma, this place shows promise, even the bartender is kinda hot!" Bobbi says with a toothy grin.

"Well, _you_ 're not wasting any time ..." Jemma says, teasing.

 _Maybe I should just wait for the girls to find someone they like and I could just slip away unnoticed._

"Jemmaaaa" Daisy and Bobbi both say at the same time. So she finally does turn around with a big sigh. She might as well act like she's interested or they're gonna try and fix her up with anyone anyway.

Just like the girls said, there are a few good looking guys. Big, tall, muscular with nice symmetrical faces ... and looking very much into themselves, not unlike her last boyfriend. If she didn't have so much alcohol last night, she would have remembered that she never met someone that was the least bit interesting in a bar. As she's about to tell her friends she just doesn't feel it tonight, she spots someone on the other side of the room. She could easily have missed him, all alone in a small booth in a relatively dark corner of the room. She observes him for a few minutes and a new idea slowly makes its way into her brain.

"I think I found someone!" She says triumphantly.

"Okay, let me guess ..." Daisy starts with a grin as she scans the room. "...mmhmm meathead with the red shirt talking with another meathead with a black shirt on the left?"

"Nicely put but no!" She answers, rolling her eyes.

"Oh I know ... very tall guy with a football jersey close to the door?" Bobbie asks.

"Urgh ... you girls really have a poor opinion of my taste in men ... " She starts. "... okay see that tall smiling black guy over there in the corner?"

"Oooh yeah, very nice!" Daisy says, letting out a wolf whistle and they all chuckle.

"... well it's the curly haired one in the booth next to him!" She says, grinning.

"What?" The girls both say at the same time. "Come on Jemma, he's obviously not one night stand material!" Daisy says, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I mean he doesn't look too bad, not from afar at least, but he's clearly not your type and why go for a guy that looks like he'd want to be anywhere else but here when you've got plenty of good looking guys waiting for you to pick them up?" Bobbi adds.

Of course Jemma knows all of that and that's precisely why she chose him. She knew the girls would never stop insisting if she said she didn't want to try and find someone tonight so when she saw that kind of cute guy hunched over books and stacks of paper, she thought this might be her chance. When she observed him, she saw that he didn't lift his head from his papers once. Not when the waiter came to ask if he wanted something else and not when this group of girls dressed quite provocatively passed by close to him. Whatever the reason he was here, it was clearly not for picking up someone. So her plan was to go to him, try to chat him up, get rejected and look depressed enough about it that the girls wouldn't insist on finding someone else for her.

 _Well done Jemma, you're definitely not having sex tonight ... wait, should I be happy about this?_

"All the guys I dated until now were _my type_ and look what good it did me." She answers matter of factly and the girls can only agree to that so she continues. "So I thought, If tonight is about experimenting, why not try with someone that doesn't look like every one of my exes? Someone that's just nice and cute"

"Yeah I guess that makes sense ..." Bobbi says, still not looking totally convinced.

"Also, he has books and he's apparently working on something so if it doesn't work out, I still might get a good conversation out of it ... that'll be a change from the meatheads!" She says, grinning slightly. And even though, she's just trying to sell the girls her story, she's almost convincing herself with that argument. That's actually the most enthusiastic she's felt about all of this since she woke up with a hangover and remembered what she agreed to.

"Yeah, cause that's what you need, a really good ... conversation" Daisy answers, smirking.

"Daisy!" Bobbi and Jemma say in unison and she rolls her eyes, putting her hands up in defeat.

"Fine, you win. Go get your geek!" She answers and Jemma chuckles.

Once they get closer, Jemma notices that he actually is cuter than he looked from afar, even though it would be easier to get a good look if he did lift his head just once. Which brings Jemma to ask this question:

"So how I am supposed to do that?"

"Oh come on Jemma you've already done this!" Daisy says, rolling her eyes.

"Of course but usually I just go with a big smile and an insistent look and let them come to me ... but with him I could smile his way all night and he still wouldn't see me!" She answers with a big sigh.

"She's right, he didn't even lift his eyes for the bachelorette party group that passed next to him earlier ... hell he didn't even notice us ... I'm actually feeling a little insulted." Bobbi says with a chuckle.

"Maybe he's gay..." Daisy says with a smirk.

"Daiiiisy ... just because he doesn't look at every woman like she's a piece of meat, doesnt mean he's gay ... he's probably just very focused on his work or whatever he's doing ... I like that in a man." Jemma answers while looking at him insistantly, still hoping he'll look up at some point.

"Well you're not looking for a man, just a good screw!" Daisy answers, grinning even wider.

"Charming but believe it or not, being able to hold a conversation on anything else than sports or cars is one my criteria even for a one night stand!" She says rolling her eyes.

"Anyway it's easy, you get closer, you spill your drink on him like it's an accident and then propose to offer him one to make up for it. And then you work your usual magic!" She answers with a triumphant grin as they're slowly making their way to his table.

"No! I'm not pooring my drink on this poor man. That's a terrible way to approach someone! No I'm just going to say hello like a civilized person and see what happens." Jemma says, taking a deep breath to give herself courage.

"I'm telling you, he'll be thanking you for it in a few hours ... okay good luck Jemma!"

"Wh ..." Jemma starts but she cannot finish her sentence as Daisy pushes her closer to the man's table, nudging her elbow in the process and thus effectively spilling her drink on the poor man's clothes and papers. "Daisy, I told ..." She starts but somehow Daisy and Bobbi have already managed to disappear from sight.

"What the hell ..." For just a second, she smiles at the man's very obvious Scottish accent. She didn't expect that and it makes her think of home. But then, she hears how pissed off he sounds and her smile quickly disappears.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I must have tripped on something ... here let me help ..." She says as she's reaching for napkins in the dispenser.

"No no no don't touch that! You've made a big enough mess ..." He starts as he's pushing her hands away from his notes. The words sting a bit and she feels even worse knowing it was done on purpose. She knew it was a very bad way to approach him.

As he's starting to ramble about this being the perfect end to a very shitty week while he tries to salvage his notes, she can see that he also got some of her very red drink on his light blue shirt. At least that she can fix. If flirting seems completely out of the question, maybe she can just make him a little less angry. She knows she should just accept his rejection and go away (after all that's what she came for) but she's always hated having people mad at her and she needs him to tell her it's okay before she can go back to her friends.

"You've got some on your shirt too, let me get some sparkling water, it should work well on this type of stain ..." She starts but he interrupts her again.

"No no I'll take care of that just please go away and leave me alone ..." He says with an exasperated tone.

She was prepared to being rejected, that was the plan after all, but she wasn't prepared to being rejected so violently and it somehow brings back her last breakup. The last few days they spent together, they kept yelling at each other and it put a strain on her. Combined with the extreme amount of stress she's going through at work, she feels like she's about to crack. She tries her best to hold back the tears that are stupidly pooling in her eyes, but the more she tries the more they keep coming. So she decides to actually leave before she makes a complete fool of herself by crying in front of a stranger just for being a bit yelled at.

"Okay, I'm gonna go now ... I really am very sorry and I hope you can salvage all your notes ..." She says, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible but he must hear the slight tremor in it because he turns his head towards her and his eyes go wide when he sees the tears on her cheeks.

"Oh my god you're-are you- are you crying because of me?" He asks, his face softening and paling at the same time.

"Oh no no I-I just had a few rough weeks is all, I never cry like that, I'm sorry, this is ridiculous, I'll leave you alone before I make any more mess ..." She says and she starts walking away but suddenly she can feel his hand on her wrist, pulling her back towards the table.

"Wait please, I'm so sorry, I had a very bad week myself and I shouldn't have taken it out on you!" He says, looking a little panicked. She wasn't prepared to being yelled at but obviously he wasn't expecting such an extreme reaction from her either. She's feeling too stupid and weirdly upset to react so he stands up and she lets him gently guide her to the seat opposite him. As she can only look at him with a stunned expression, he grabs a few towels and gives them to her with a shy little smile. "Here, dry your eyes, yeah?"

It's hard to believe it's the same man that snapped at her only a minute ago. Once the tears finally stop falling, she looks up at him and starts noticing that he does have a really pleasant face when he's smiling. There's a nice symmetry to it with his chiseled jaw and high cheeks but also a boyish softness with his short curly hair and mesmerizing blue eyes that stand out even in this relative darkness.

"Thank you ..." She says, still with a light tremor in her voice. "I really am sorry, I never cry like that and I messed up all your work and ..." She starts but he cuts her up.

"No really, it's not that bad. It's just a few sheets and the ink is not gone, I'll just have to write over it a bit when it's dry ... it's worthless anyway ... and ...well it's just that my work is now going to smell like that horribly sweet thing you were drinking for some reason." He says with a teasing smile and she cannot help smiling back. He does have a nice contagious smile and now that he's not yelling at her, his Scottish brogue is kind of soothing and quite charming too.

"Now that's better!" He adds, his smile softening and they both remain in silence for a moment, feeling a little awkward. At this point, she tells herself that it's her cue to leave and go tell the girls she's been rejected. But now that he's smiling at her, something keeps her from leaving and she decides to give a shot at conversation.

"So ... not that I mean to tell you what you should do but ... maybe a crowded bar on a friday night is not the best place to work ..." She says, still a bit tentatively, hoping he'll get the teasing and doesn't go back to being snappy.

"Oh you think?" He says, rolling his eyes gently and she chuckles a bit at his typical Scottish grumpiness. "That really wasn't the plan if you want to know. I was supposed to pick up my friend after work, he's a bartender her, but once I got here, he told me he had to cover someone else's shift so I have to wait for him for another hour and since i still have that stupid project to work on ..." He says, sighing.

"Oh I see ..." As stupid as Daisy's idea was, maybe it's working after all because he _is_ speaking to her.

"Actually, I think he did it on purpose because he wants me to _socialize_ , whatever that means ... well joke's on him because I haven't talked to a single person since I came here!" He says with a triumphant smile she finds quite adorable.

"Ah yes of course ... So I guess your friend is the short haired one behind the bar, looking at us with a big smile on his face ... probably because you _are_ actually talking to someone." She says, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Ah ... yes I didn't think of that ... well anyway if he asks you, tell him how mean I was to you!" He says sighing loudly and she cannot stop the big smile that makes its on way on her face. "No no no don't smile, he'll see you!" He adds, whispering like his friend could actually hear him through all the noise in the bar.

"Sorry, sorry you're just being so typically Scottish, makes me feel a bit nostalgic is all!" She says, trying to keep a straight face.

"Well that's funny coming from the physical embodiment of english absurd politeness ..."

"What?" She says in mock offense.

"Do you know how many times you said sorry in the last five minutes? I would have told myself to piss off way sooner" He says with a big grin.

"Well ... I really am sorry." She says, blushing slightly.

"My point exactly." He says and it's her turn to roll her eyes at him. Does teasing each other count as flirting? Because it feels like it does and she finds that she quite likes that. It's so much better than the usual sly compliments on her looks. With him, she actually gets to use her brain and it's refreshing.

"So what is that project you're working on? Maybe I can help. After all that's the least I could do." She says with a soft tone.

"That's nice of you to ask but unless you've got a degree in biology or chemistry or both, that seems unlikely you ..." he starts but his voice trails off when he sees the look of surprise on her face. After a few seconds it turns into a full blown grin. "What?"

She looks at him for a few more seconds until she extends her hand towards him. "I'm Jemma Simmons, biochemist". He looks at her with a skeptic look but she gives him a sincere smile and nods her head and it seems that it's enough to answer his silent question because he extends his hand to shake hers.

"Leopold Fitz, engineering" He says with a soft tone. "But please don't call me Leopold or Leo ... just Fitz is fine." he adds and they both laugh sincerely.

After a moment's hesitation, he starts showing her his design for a non lethal weapon for which he's lacking the right chemical component. The ideas start popping out in her head and soon they are caught in such an intense discussion that there are probably very few persons in the world except them that could follow their fast exchanges of words. After fifteen minutes, she starts scribbling her own ideas on a blank piece of paper and she decides it would be easier if they were sitting next to each other to work on it together. So she stands up and comes to sit next to him, their shoulders and thighs touching. As she does so, she cannot help noticing that his breath catches a bit and that his eyes descend on her cleavage for a second, making him look guilty and blush quite adorably. _"So definitely not gay"_ She tells herself, smiling discreetly. Of course if she's being honest, she's been _studying_ him too. The more she spends time with, the more attractive he gets. His incredibly blue eyes actually make it hard to look anywhere else but she still notices his long delicate hands and nice broad shoulders. He's obviously not as big as the guys she's used to dating but he still has a few inches on her, even with her heels, and a nice solid build she can see when he's not hunching over his work. But aside from his aesthetically pleasing appearance, she realizes how very smart he is. Even with her colleagues, there's always a moment where she has to slow down her train of thought, but never with him. Not only does he understand her but he actually finishes her sentences and she finds it unsettingly ... sexy.

After almost two hours that go by as fast as lightening, he lays back against the wall and looks at her, his eyes wide "Oh my god that's it ... I think you did it, you solved the problem I've been working on for weeks with stupid Dr Stone. You're amazing ... you're - you're a proper genius actually!" He says with an ecstatic smile and a look of adoration on his face which makes her blush furiously.

"Oh no it's not ... I'm not ... well yeah I guess I am but you are too obviously ... I mean that design is fantastic!" She answers and it's his time to blush. For a moment, they just look into each other's eyes with a bashful smile and she wonders if science flirting is a thing. She's been able to work well with other people before, but he's bringing it to a whole new level and it's properly exhilarating. Whatever it is they're doing, she can feel the electricity between them. Working with him and being able to bounce back ideas with him so effortlessly has made her adrenaline level spike and looking at him, she realizes she's actually a little breathless. She could definitely kiss him right now. But as she's actually pondering acting on her impulse, her phone bips, pulling them both out of their transe. She takes her phone out of her purse and slightly roll her eyes at Daisy's text.

(From Daisy to Jemma: I'm leaving! So what's the deal with your geek? Are you working on a cure for cancer or is this how nerds actually flirt?)

"Sorry, that's my friend Daisy, she's leaving!" She says with an apologetic smile as she's standing up to go and meet her.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I think I took enough of your time. That was very nice of you to help me and ..." He starts, disappointment written all over his face.

"Oh no I'm not leaving. I'm just going to say goodbye to Daisy and I'll be back ... I mean if you want me to ...your friend must have finished his shift by now, I don't want to keep you from him." She says, blushing slightly.

"No no I mean yeah I'd really like for you to come back." He says with a bashful smile. "Besides I think my friend is doing pretty fine without me." He adds, smirking and looking towards the bar where he is deep in conversation with Bobbi.

"Oh that's my friend Bobbi ... well if your friend is anything like mine, don't count on seing him for much longer tonight." She says, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I see ..." He answers with a smirk.

"Well anyway, I'll go say goodbye to Daisy and be back in a few minutes if that's alright with you" She says with a tentative smile.

"Yeah, that's perfectly alright." He answers with a very warm smile that sends delicious shivers down her spine.

She spots Daisy next to the bar, apparently checking something on her phone. She has her back to Bobbi who's still talking with Fitz's friend, which is why, she guesses, she has decided to leave. She would feel bad for her friend if the same thing hadn't happened to her a few times already. When Daisy sees Jemma approaching, she meets her halfway and they move to the corner of the bar where it's a little more quiet.

"I told you the spilled drink thing would work!" Daisy says with a big grin on her face.

"Well ... at first he yelled at me and it's only when I started crying like a stupid teenager that he felt bad about it and apologized and we started talking. But yeah you could say it worked." Jemma says with a raised eyebrow and Daisy's face softens. Despite how strong she knows her friend is, she also knows that her last breakup left her fragile and coupled with the long hours she was doing at work since she was promoted, she has been on edge for weeks. And that's why she thought a night of careless fun would do her some good.

"Oh Jemma..." Daisy says, gently squeezing Jemma's arm.

"I'm alright Daisy ... and actually I'm having a really good time" She answers beaming.

"Oh" Daisy says with a sincere smile. "So you were actually flirting? Because that's not what it looked like from where I was." She adds, teasing.

"Well, he was stuck on a work problem and since I poured my drink all over it, I offered to help him and believe it or not, he's an engineer and he needed the help of a biochemist. A biochemist Daisy! That's fate!" Jemma says, unable to keep herself from smiling.

"I thought you didn't believe in fate." Daisy says, smirking.

"Well, it's the universe then." She says, sticking her tongue at her. "Anyway, turns out he's incredibly smart, like ... me smart. I've never met someone like him actually. And he's really cute too, you should see his eyes, so blue and so intense and the more I talk to him, to more attractive he becomes. Oh and he's Scottish too, never found that especially sexy but it works for him and .."

"Mmmhmmm ..." Daisy says, interrupting her, knowing she could keep going like that for hours.

"What?"

"If it wasn't completely absurd and so not like you, I'd say you're falling in love with that guy!"

"Well ..."

"Jemma! You met him two hours ago!" Daisy cries out.

"I know! I know it's crazy and I'm not saying I'm in love with him right now ... but I can totally see it happen! I mean we're so completely in synch ... I just cannot imagine leaving this place and never see him again" She says, blushing.

"Oh wow ... good for you then. Well at least I guess you'll have _fun_ tonight!" Daisy says quirking her eyebrows.

"Well ... I don't know I don't think ..." Jemma starts but Daisy interrupts her.

"Oh come on, you'd probably marry him if he asked but you don't want to have sex with him?" Daisy says, confused.

"Well I wasn't very enthusiastic about this casual sex thing at first but right now I could definitely have sex with him but I also like him a lot and that's why I think I should go slowly. I don't want to mess things up by going too fast. I don't want him to think that ..."

"Jemma, the way he looks at you, there's nothing you could do that could mess things up." Daisy says with a soft smile.

"You've been watching us?" Jemma asks, not really surprised. Daisy is a very sweet person but she has a tendency to meddle in other people's personal life.

"Well, Bobbi and the bartender are way too obvious and kind of gross. I like you guys better, you're so cute, I'd watch your show even though it's a bit too family friendly for my taste!" Daisy answers with a big smile and they both chuckle. "Anyway, I'm gonna go now, whatever you do, don't chicken out again, have fun and at least get his number!" She says as she puts her coat on and starts walking towards the door.

"I will. Goodnight Daisy!" She says, giving her a small wave and making her way back to Fitz. Voicing her very fast developing feelings for him has made Jemma a little nervous. Once they got past the yelling and crying, things have gone incredibly smoothly. She helped him with his project but they also talked about their respective jobs and lots of small things with such ease, like they've known each other for a long time. But now, she feels some kind of pressure so she takes a big breath to steady her heart and goes back to Fitz's booth.

He welcomes her with a big smile and a cocktail in his hand. "Since you didn't get to drink yours ..." He says extending his hand to give it to her.

"You're adorable" She says, beaming as she sits back next to him. Even though they finished working and she could easily sit back facing him, she liked their physical proximity. He looks at her in mock offense when she says the word "adorable" and she giggles. "Oh come on, you fooled me maybe ten minutes with your grumpy scotsman act but now I've seen how sweet you are and there's nothing you can do about it!" He rolls his eyes gently but still gives her the warmest smile.

"By the way, I know I didn't actually say it but thank you. Really it's like a week worth of work with doctor stupid!" He says, hesitating before moving to gently squeeze her hand, sending a new wave of shivers down her spine.

"Oh it was my pleasure really. This is the most interesting conversation I've ever had with someone in a bar, hell it's probably the most interesting conversation I've had with anyone in a long time." She says, squeezing his hand back, well decided to not let it go.

"Oh you cannot mean that, it's not like I ..."

"No really Fitz" She interrupts him. "The last time I spoke to a guy in a bar, he spent half an hour talking about his biceps, half an hour Fitz!" She adds and they both chuckle.

"Yeah slim chance of that happening with me." He says, self depricatively.

"And somehow, I'm sure _you_ 'd manage to make it a lot more interesting than he did ..." She says, gently moving her hand up his fore arm and reveling in the sensation of the shivers on his skin she knows she is responsible for. For a moment their eyes lock and she knows she would only have to lean in a bit and she could kiss him. But then he starts blushing and bows his head down and the moment is passed.

 _He's going to be the death of me._

"So Jemma, if you don't mind me asking, why were the last weeks so bad? Are you getting a hard time at work?" He says, changing the subject but leaving his hand somehow entwined with hers.

"Well work has been hard yes, I've been promoted lately and there's a much bigger workload so I guess I'm just a little tired." She says, her voice trailing of.

"Congratulations then ... but it's not the main reason, right?" He asks, tilting his head sympathetically.

"Mmhmm no ... I don't usually get so stupidly emotional just because I'm tired. It was just a bad breakup. After almost two months you'd think I'd be over it but ..."

"I really am sorry Jemma, about the breakup and about making you cry, you seem like such a sweet decent person, you didn't deserve to get such a hard time over something so insignificant" He says, gently squeezing her arm. It's just a sweet innocent gesture there's something about his soft gaze that makes her feel deliciously warm inside and she lets her mind drift off for a second as she's wondering how his hands would feel on other parts of her body.

 _Stop it Jemma ... you said you would take it slow with him._

"Oh don't be, it's alright and you made up for it, tonight was the most fun I had in ages." She says, smiling warmly. "And the breakup really was for the best but with everything happening in my life lately, I didn't have much time to grief properly I guess."

"Well, I'm glad you had fun but I still owe you so much ... if you ever need me to help you with anything ..." He says, with an hopeful smile and Jemma cannot help smiling fondly at his not so subtle way of saying he'd like to see her again.

"I will definitely keep that in mind." She says, and his smile gets even bigger.

After that, they keep talking for a long time. Speaking about everything and nothing, about home and their favorite TV shows. They also discuss their academic career and at some point, they discover that they should have met a long time ago since they crossed paths so many times, during their time at MIT or at several scientific conferences and Jemma cannot help thinking about what she said to Daisy about fate earlier. They lose themselves in their conversation, completely losing track of time, until the waiter comes to tell them the bar is closing. She knows she must mirror Fitz's surprised expression when she realizes the bar is now almost completely empty and none of them noticed it. They smile at each other, blushing slightly and take their jackets before walking out the door.

They start walking in the same direction in companionable silence so Jemma assumes his apartment is in the same direction as hers. She's glad because she doesnt want to say goodbye now but she doesn't know what more she wants. A little fresh air might help her make up her mind. After a few minutes, with the effets of the alcohol wearing off, she realizes that she's actually really cold and her thin jacket is doing nothing to warm her up. She tries to warm herself up by rubbing her arms and Fitz notices it.

"Are you cold?" He asks softly.

"Yeah a bit, that was a really stupid dress to wear in such cold weather." She says rolling her eyes and he grins slightly. After a second's hesitation, he shrugs off his own jacket and puts it on her shoulders.

"Oh no that's really sweet but you don't have to do that. _You_ 'll be cold now! It's my fault, I should have known it'd be colder when I get out" She says but he insists and rubs her arms gently to help her get warmer, leaving his arm around her shoulder afterwards.

 _Real smooth Fitz, real smooth._ She says to herself with a small grin.

"Well ... being cold right now is a sacrifice I'm willing to make since i've had the privilege of seing you in _that_ dress, that _I_ really wouldn't describe as stupid, all evening ..." He says, grinning but not willing to look her in the eyes. She cannot stop her own grin to grow bigger. She thought that they've been kind of flirting all night but without never being sure of it, she'd been mistaken so many times. But his arm around her shoulders and his last phrase are obvious flirting and it makes her feel giddy. There's something so sweet about him that it makes her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She realizes that she hadn't felt that good in ages, even before her breakup. Somehow it feels like being on a very exciting first date. She doesn't know what to say so she lets her head fall on his shoulder, hoping he'll get the message that his compliment was very much welcome.

After five minutes like this, he stops walking and turns to face her with a nervous look on his face.

"Is there something wrong?" She asks, a little worried..

"I have a confession to make ..." He says with a shy little smile.

"Oh ..."

"I live in the opposite direction and I have no idea where we are right now" He says with an embarrassed smile, blushing a little.

"But Fitz!" She cries out. "Why didn't you say anything? When we started walking, I figured we were both going in the same direction." She adds, confused.

"I know but ... I-I didn't want to say goodbye right away because I really want to see you again and I was working up the guts to ask you." He says with an hopeful smile.

"Oh Fitz ..." She says with a fond expression. "I thought I was pretty obvious about how I feel ..." She adds, taking his hands in hers and locking her eyes on him.

She doesn't know if it's the last remains of alcohol in her blood or his impossibly blue eyes looking at her so softly that give her the courage but after a moment's hesitation, she closes the gap between them and touches her lips to his. At first, it's a soft tentative brush of lips as she just wants to express her already growing affection for him. But then, he kisses her back and it soon becomes much more. His hands go to her waist and as he pulls her flush to him, her own hands come to rest on his neck. The heat radiating from his body feels positively delightful in the cold autumn air and she arches her back to be even closer. As they move their lips hungrily against each other's, she feels a rush of warmth coursing all through her body so when he traces the seam of her lips with his tongue, she doesn't hesitate to part her lips and deepen the kiss. She cannot quite believe how amazing it feels. She wonders if maybe it's just because it's been quite some time so when he starts to break apart from her, she doesn't let him and recapture his lips, making him groan slightly in the process. As his tongue is mapping her mouth and his hands are moving up and down her back in slow circles under his jacket, her resolves of going slow melt like snow in the sun. It's definitely not because it's been too long or because of the alcohol, their bodies seem to be just as in synch as their minds are. At some point, she realizes that he has gently backed her up against the wall and she's glad for it because she's not sure she could stand on her own legs, as wobbly as they've gone. After what seems like an eternity but is still too soon, they break apart for some much needed oxygen. Before letting her go completely, he cups her jaw in a very soft gesture and peppers her lips with a few delicate kisses, making her giggle softly.

"Wow ... yeah ... I guess it's pretty clear now ..." He says, completely out of breath, a small grin appearing on his face, and they both chuckle.

"So can I maybe ... get your number now? So I can call you ... like really soon, probably on my way home actually ..." He says with a boyish smile and she smiles back at him tenderly. The fact that he could look so shy telling her that after such a mind-blowing kiss is equal parts sexy and adorable.

"Yes-yes, you definitely can. Give me your phone so I can put my number in and you can do the same with mine!" She says, fishing her phone from her purse and giving it to him. Then she hesitates for a moment before making her mind for good and starts speaking again: "But we might have a little problem, I still have a ten minutes walk to get home and I might get really cold if I give you back your jacket now ..." She says with a low voice and seductive smile ... and as suggestive as it sounded to her, it goes completely over his head.

"Oh ... well you can keep it if you like, you'll give it back to me when we see each other again. That way you'll be forced to say yes to a date." He says with the softest, most innocent grin. She might feel a little rejected and disappointed if she wasn't a hundred percents positive he's very interested but just surprisingly unreceptive to subtexts for someone so smart.

"Fitz?" She says, her voice as low and seductive as she can without sounding ridiculous.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you could walk me home ... if you want to" She answers, not losing eye contact until she can see the flicker of understanding in his eyes and a little color appear on his cheeks.

"Oh ... yeah I could do that ... yeah-okay" He says smiling and before she has the time to take his hand to keep walking, he pulls her by the waist and kisses her one more time. It's sweet and slow and it doesn't last very long but once more, he manages to make her feel a little weak in the knees, which comforts her in her decision to forget the whole "going slow" thing. When they separate, she gives him a bright smile and he wraps his arm around her shoulder as they start walking again. She knows it's crazy and way too soon to think like that but the metaphorical butterflies in her stomach keep reminding her that what she's feeling right now feels a lot like falling in love.

They spend the next ten minutes in silence, just occasionally smiling or glancing at each other. As they walk all cooked up against each other, she revels in the feeling of his warm body against hers and the delicious smell of his cologne. But the closer she gets to her apartment, the more nervous she becomes. They both know why she asked him to walk her home and she doesn't regret it but things have gone so smoothly until now that she doesn't want to mess things up by being too eager or too awkward. As she's considering making a detour to give herself more time to think, she realizes that she must have been lost in thoughts for a while because her apartments building is only a few meters away and it's too late for that now.

"So that's me" She says with a small smile, while disentangling herself from him.

"Mmmhmm" He answers, scratching his neck, visibly as nervous as she is.

"So ..."

"I-I-it was a really nice ..."

"Would you like to maybe ..."

"... and I'd really like to ..."

" ... I mean if you want ..."

"... sometime next week ..."

"... for a drink ..."

As she feels like they could go on like that for hours without actually making a single proper sentence, she gathers up her courage and cuts him.

"Fitz! Would you like to come in with me?" She asks, getting closer to him to get his attention.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." He answers with a sweet smile and a pinkish tint to his cheeks before taking her hand and entwining his fingers with hers.

A few minutes later they get inside her apartment. She turns the lights on and takes off both his jacket and hers to put them on the coat hanger. Then she turns around and looks at him with a small smile. Her nerves are back in full force. Once again she finds herself not knowing what to do so she just goes with the classics, you can never go wrong with the classics.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asks and he barely has the time to mumble an answer that she's already gone to the kitchen, opening every door and drawer to check if she actually has anything to offer him. It's not like she's had the time to do a lot of grocery shopping lately and she wasn't expecting anyone anyway.

"Okay ... I don't have a lot of choice ... I have white wine or beer-well I only have one left but you can have it if you like ... ah but none of that is cold. I guess I can put it in the freezer for a moment if you're willing to wait or-or I can just make some coffee or ..." She's interrupted in her rambling by a warm hand on her shoulder and she cannot help gasping loudly. She turns around to find Fitz looking at her with a tender smile.

"Hi" He says taking her hands to stop her from going to look for yet another beverage.

"Hi" She answers, a little relaxed by the soft touch of his hand.

"Any drink will do Jemma. Beer, wine, a glass of milk, whatever, as long as I have it with you." He says with a soft smile and she beams at him. What is she even worried about? He's just the sweetest, most adorable man she's ever met. What could go wrong with him?

"Wine it is then." She says beaming and he takes her hand back before she has the time to go about getting the bottle.

"Okay I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're just as nervous as I am. Am I wrong?" He asks, pulling her a little closer to put his arms gently around her waist.

"What gave me away?" She answers, grinning and they both chuckle.

"Listen Jemma, I'm just very happy to be here with you. The highlight of my day was supposed to be a pint of beer so really, nothing has to happen tonight if you don't want to-not that _I_ don't want to because obviously, I mean look at you! But I was already happy to just actually walk you home because it meant that I got to spend more time with you so I can just go home or if you want, we can just enjoy a drink together or I don't know ... watch DVDs or play cards or you can show me that project you were talking to me about or ..." She can see that he could probably go on all night with his propositions, the grin on his face growing bigger as he goes, so as none of those activities is what she has in mind for them, she decides it's time to stop him.

She locks her hands behind his neck and crashes her lips to his, gently nibbling at his lower lip before deepening the kiss almost immediately. When she lets her hands wander in his hair, he lets out a very low and satisfying groan and she cannot help smiling into the kiss. After the initial shock, he starts responding in kind, pulling her as close as he can, his tongue battling with hers in the most delicious ways. Once again, his kiss manages to make her heart beat wildly in her chest and she knows that this time, without the limitation of being in a public place, there's no way she'll be able to stop at that.

When she finally breaks the kiss, she's met with a slightly stunned expression and she cannot help the grin that makes its way on her face. "Sorry, I had to stop you, you were getting hysterical" She starts and he's about to protest but she cuts him again. "Fitz, what you said, it's really sweet but it just makes me want ... this even more. I just tend to overthink things a lot but, with you, I feel like everything's going to be fine." She says, her hands descending on his chest but never losing eye contact.

"Yeah?" He answers with an almost bashful smile.

"Yeah"

The moment the word is out of her lips, he kisses her again but this time it's extremely sweet and gentle, like they have all the time in the world. The softness of his lips contrasts with the roughness of his stubble under her hands but they both feel delicious. When one of his hands slowly slides from her waist to her neck, leaving a trail of pebbled skin on the sensitive bare skin of her upper back, she starts feeling the same warmth he had ignited earlier and lets a low moan escape her lips. This seems to spur him on because the next second, he traces her lower lip with his tongue and she gladly parts her lips to deepen the kiss.

For several minutes, they remain like that, kissing with a passion mixed with tenderness. His hands are roaming all over her back and neck and face and as delicious as it feels, they always remain in safe territory. And as much as she appreciates how respectful he is, his touch and his kisses are making her feel like all her nerves ending are on fire but also that it's nowhere near enough.

So she pulls him with her against the kitchen counter, her arms around his waist, arching her back to get as close to him as possible. He seems to get the message because she can feel him smile into the kiss and a second later he detaches his lips from hers, which makes her whimper in frustration at first, but then he reattaches them on her neck where he starts leaving a trail of open mouth kisses as he descends towards her collarbone and up the other side of her neck, occasionally nipping on her skin before soothing it with his tongue. It feels so good that it almost distracts her from his hands that are now descending down her back until they finally reach the curves of her arse and she gasps loudly when he starts kneading the flesh through the fabric of her dress. When she instinctively cants her hips against him, she can feel that she's also having quite an effect on him. It only serves to feed the fire inside her because suddenly she has to feel his lips on hers again so she tilts his face up and crashes her lips to his for a kiss that is all tongue and no subtlety but he doesn't seem to mind at all. On the contrary, that's the moment he choses to grab her by the backside and hoist her up on the closest bar stool. She lets out a delighted squeak and they both laugh at this, making eye contact again for a moment. His blue eyes are made much darker by desire but he's still looking at her with a very tender smile and at this moment her brain has a really hard time reminding her heart that it's way too soon to fall in love.

So she stops listening to either of them and lets instinct take over. She grabs him by his shirt collar and uses her legs around his hips to bring him even closer and kisses him with renewed passion. As she does that, her hands blindly go to his shirt and start unbuttoning it. When she's done, she doesn't resist putting her hands under his shirt to feel more skin. As she grazes the skin of his stomach with her nails, she can feel him instinctively tightening his muscles and it makes her smile. He doesn't have a six pack but he does have a nice firm and flat stomach which he shouldn't be ashamed of. The upper part of his torso is more muscled with nice broad shoulders and with his open shirt, his slightly flushed skin and with the little freckles on his shoulders, that, until now, she didn't know could be so sexy, he's quite the sight to behold.

She must have been staring for a while because now he's looking at her shyly, obviously feeling a little self conscious. He must have mistaken her appreciative staring for something else and she cannot allow that to continue. She bites her lip and gives him a big toothy grin before pushing his shirt from his shoulders completely. She starts peppering his chest and neck with hot open mouth kisses, stopping for a moment over his heart to hear how fast it's beating. Then she goes up and when she reaches the side of his neck, she gently bites his earlobe before soothing it with her tongue, making him gasp loudly, then whispers in his ear:

"You're beautiful." He smiles softly before answering.

" _You're_ beautiful!" And then he recaptures her lips for a searing kiss that makes her whimper in his mouth as she lets her hands travel down his back and onto the curves of his ass that feels just as nice as it looks.

As they break the kiss, a thought somehow crosses her mind and she has to express it.

"Hey, you're not even wearing an undershirt, you must have been freezing outside!" She says looking a little guilty and he smiles knowingly before letting his hands slowly descend from her waist.

"Yeah a bit ... but like I said, it was worth it because I really ..." His hands are now descending on her thighs "really" And now they're going back up under her short red dress. "like that dress." He finishes with a cocky grin on his face.

She's about to respond but then he reaches the very sensitive skin of her upper thighs and as he slides slowly towards the inside, all coherent thought suddenly leaves her mind and she lets out a loud pleasured gasp. She noticed that when Fitz talks about science, he tends to use his hands a lot, which gave her the opportunity to observe them. He has long and delicate fingers and she assumed he has to be agile, working with tiny electronic parts everyday, but she hadn't stopped to consider how agile he could be in other situations. As he's drawing tiny patterns on her thighs, getting closer to where she wants him but never getting there, she becomes putty under his hands and doesn't even try to stop the whimpers coming out of her mouth. But then he stops, letting out a small gasp.

"Oh my god Jemma are you - are you wearing stockings?" He asks, his voice rough with desire and his accent thicker than ever.

"What? I don't ... what?" She says, her brain swimming with too much desire to form a complete sentence. But it was a rethorical question anyway as she's quite obviously wearing them.

"Oh my god you're amazing ... you're - you're a goddess ..." He says before crashing his lips back to hers with renewed passion. Then his hand slowly slides from his thigh to rest between her legs and starts caressing her through her panties. She moans into his mouth and he must take that as a sign of encouragement because his other hand is making its way up and starts delicately caressing her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. His hands are at the same time strong and torturously delicate and as he so expertly tangles his tongue with hers, it feels like a sensory overload. She lets him swallow her cries of ecstasy until she cannot take it anymore and detaches her lips from him, completely out of breath, and lets her head fall back.

"Fitz ... oh god ... Fitz maybe we could -oh- take this ... somewhere more comfortable?" She says, between sighs of pleasure.

"Yeah ... yeah ... good idea" He says but it's still another minute before he can make the decision to take his hands off her. When he finally does, he grabs her by the backside again. As she tightens her legs around his waist, he hoists her up and they both moan in synchrony at the delicious friction it creates. The ease with which he carries her delights her and surprises her equally. But he has already proven himself to be full of surprises and she hopes it won't be the last one tonight.

The idea was to guide him to her room on the other side of the apartment, but the way she alternates between biting and kissing his neck makes it hard for him to focus on anything else and he ends up hitting the sofa with the back of his legs. Their combined weight makes him lose balance and he ends up falling backward half sitting, half lying down with Jemma on top of him. When they make eye contact, they both burst out laughing at how ungracefully they fell, now laying on the sofa in a big mess of tangled limbs.

"It was such a cool sexy moment, of course I had to be clumsy and mess it up!" He says, rolling his eyes at himself.

"Oh Fitz" She says with a fond smile. "You didn't mess up anything, it was quite funny actually and I don't know about you ..." She starts as she uses his shoulders to straighten up and sit on his lap, effectively straddling him. "... but I'm still in a very sexy mood." She finishes as she moves closer to roll her hips against the very noticeable bulge in his pants, looking at him with hooded eyes.

"Of course, if you say it like that ..." He starts with a cocky grin but then she does it again and he cannot stop himself from groaning. As he's obviously incapable of uttering another word, he surges forward and captures her lips again. As Jemma keeps rolling her hips and he keeps kissing her with all the passion he can muster, his hands on her hips, the room fills with the sounds of their moans and sighs of pleasure. When they finally break apart to breathe, their eyes lock and it seems that they both think the same thing as Fitz reaches for the zipper of Jemma's dress and she goes for his belt. He makes quick work of it and as soon as it's off of her, he goes for the clasp of her bra and removes it even quicker. Actually, it's so fast that she cannot help the quizzical look on her face as she's wondering how he got so good at it.

"What? I work with the tiniest pieces of electronics everyday, I know how to use my hands!" He says, blushing slightly under her scrutiny.

"Yeah you do ..." She says, biting her lower lip and he smiles widely before letting his eyes descend on the delicate skin of her naked breasts and she can see his throat bobble as he swallows hard, which makes her grin slightly. He gently pulls her closer and starts kissing her neck, slowly descending to her collarbone until he finally makes contact with her left breast, peppering every part of it with butterfly kisses until he takes her already hard nipple into his mouth and sucks on it, making her whimper loudly.

"Fitz ..." She starts but that's the moment he choses to wrap his arms around her waist again and in a surprising bout of coordination, he manages to flip them over until she's lying on her back and he's on top of her. He gives her a soft kiss on the lips before standing up to rid himself of his pants and removes the couch cushions to give her more space. When he joins her on the sofa again, he goes for her left stocking, taking it off extra slowly, kissing her thigh and calf as he goes down. When he comes back up, he lays a few open mouth kisses on her stomach and hips, making her breath even faster than she already does. Then he starts taking off her other stocking and as much as she likes all that teasing, she needs more now.

"Fitz ... please ..." She says, her voice huskier than she's ever heard it. He still lays a few kisses on her thigh before taking off the stocking entirely and going back up for her panties. Even though, she made it clear that she wants things to move faster, he still looks at her with a small smile to get her permission. She gives him a very enthusiastic nod and he makes it slide down her legs.

"Do you have a ..."

"Yeah ..." He answers but instead of standing up to get it and riding himself of his boxers, he comes back up and deposits a few delicate kisses on her hips before slowly diving between her legs.

The first swipe of his tongue against her folds makes her gasp loudly and she instinctively grasps the fabric of the sofa to keep herself from grabbing his hair. She's rarely been so vocal with a man before but somehow such dexterity and obvious expertise in what he's doing is even sexier coming from a man with the innocent face of an angel. He uses his tongue to explore her, taking his time to catalogue what gets him the biggest moans and sighs from her. She was already really close to climax before he started but somehow, he manages to keep her on the edge and it's so good that it makes her shiver all over. At some point, he moves his hand up so she can hold on to it instead of the sofa. It seems like he always manages to take the time for a tender gesture even in the most passionate moments and it makes her heart melt a little. When his tongue swipes on a especially sensitive spot and she instinctively bucks her hips, she knows she's almost done for.

"Yes Fitz!"

He gets the message and alternates between that special spot and her clit until he can feel her walls flutter and hear her cry out in ecstasy. He keeps it going more gently until she goes lax and he feels her hand relaxing in his. When he comes back up to lay on top of her, she welcomes him with a big lazy smile and a languid kiss.

"Hi" She says.

"Hi" He answers with a tender smile and looks at her for a moment before saying: "I think you're quite possibly the sexiest most beautiful and amazing creature I've ever met." There is so much adoration in his eyes that she wants to hug him and never let go.

" _You're_ amazing!" She says with a mischievous smile and brings him closer for a tight hug. For a moment she gets lost in the sensation of his warm body against hers. Him being smaller and noticeably lighter than her other boyfriends is a definite plus in that situation. It makes her feel nice and warm and protected without being crushed by his weight. Actually, she starts to wonder if there's anything that's not better with him. He's so passionate and agile and in the same time incredibly tender, and she didn't expect that from supposedly casual sex. Unless she's been reading him totally wrong, she knows he likes her too but she cannot help wondering if his feelings are as crazily strong as hers because it definitely does not feel like sex for fun, it feels like making love, like there's trust between them and an instinctive understanding of what the other wants. Like they've been together for a long time. She's interrupted in her musings by the sound of Fitz inhaling loudly.

"Oh god you even smell amazing!" He says as he's laying kisses all over her neck. In her state of post orgasmic bliss her skin is still hyper sensitive and the touch of his lips is enough to fuel the fire still within her. So she locks her legs around him and with an agility and strength she's quite proud of, she manages to flip them over without falling from the sofa. Once she's on top of him, she sits back on his thighs and playfully scratches him with her fingernails, admiring his nice lean body in the process, starting from his shoulders and slowly descending towards his waist until she reaches the elastic of his boxer briefs, reveling in the feeling of the pebbled skin she's leaving in her wake.

"Someone's a little overdressed here!" She says with a small grin while eyeing the not at all insignificant bulge in his boxers.

"Aha" He starts but the words remain stuck in his throat as she starts to rub him through the thin fabric. The way his jaw drops and he gasps loudly as his eyes shut are almost as big an encouragement as the feeling of his erection growing again under her hand. After a minute of this, she decides she wants to feel more so she hooks her hand in the elastic of his boxer and lays back long enough to free him from his constraint. Her own arousal is sky rocketing again and she wants nothing more than to feel him inside her but she feels kind of proud being able to render the smartest man she's ever met unable of a coherent sentence. So as he's about to speak, probably to tell her where his condom is, she grabs him again and starts stroking up and down. The skin on skin contact makes him groan loudly and the hooded look she gives him when they make eye contact must have some kind of effect too because his eyes flutter close again and his breathing becomes erratic.

"Jemma?" He says, his voice barely a whisper.

"Mmmh?" She says, not stopping her ministrations.

"If you want us to ... I'm not gonna be able to ... " He starts, unable to finish his sentence, breathless as he is. But fortunately, she understands where he's going. He's probably been aroused since they started kissing and he didn't have any ... release yet. So after one last stroke, she lets go of him and she cannot help grinning at his pathetic little whimper.

"Sorry ... you were distracting ..." She says, blushing slightly.

"Right back at you ... and please don't apologize for _that_!" He says, grinning and blushing in return.

"Condom?" She asks.

"In my wallet, in my pant's pocket!" He says, enthusiastically. She stands up to get it and moves as quickly as possible to get back to him. She opens the wrapping with her teeth which makes them both chuckle a little. Then she makes a bit of a show rolling the condom on him and enjoys the way he's biting his lip to repress a moan. When it's done, she aligns her entrance with him, her arms bracketing his face. She doesn't resist going down for a tender kiss on the lips before sliding down on him. The way he's filling her so completely makes her sigh almost automatically. When he's as deep inside of her as possible, she stops for a moment to get used to the sensation but after a minute or so, she starts moving up, rolling her hips on the way down. His hands go from her hips to keep her steady to kneading the flesh of her ass and it feels so good that she knows it won't be long before she reaches climax again. Which delights her but kind of frustrates her at the same time because she doesn't want the best sex she's ever had to end too soon. After a few minutes of this nice rhythm, he manages to surprise her again. He pushes himself up to kiss her passionately and the new angle feels so good that she doesn't even realize the way he puts his arms around her waist and manages to turn them around so he's now sitting on the couch with her still riding him. This new proximity and the feeling of his chest against hers feels really nice. The way his hands go up and start caressing her breasts while his thumbs roll around her nipples feels even better. But when his mouth latches on one of them, her brain goes blank and she can feel the tremors of pleasure start in her toes. She starts rocking faster and harder against him and he encourages her by matching his upwards thrusts to hers while working on her breasts even more hungrily. Between kisses, he whispers her name against her skin and she cannot remember hearing it sound so erotic.

When the wave of pleasure finally crashes over her, exploding in little spark from her center, it's his name she cries out over and over until she's completely out of breath. The tensing of her muscles and inner walls obviously does it for him too because he puts his hands on her hips to bring her down on him hard one last time. Just as her own wave of pleasure is starting to recede, she can feel him reaching his own completion and as he comes inside her, she swallows his groan of ecstasy with a languid kiss and wraps her arms around his neck.

They remain like that, arms around each other, until their heartbeat has slowed back down to something a little more normal. At some point, she remembers what Daisy told her earlier and she cannot help letting out a small chuckle.

"What is it?" He asks, his voice still a little breathless.

"Oh nothing important!" She answers but with her brain still swimming in pleasure, she feels a little drunk and what started as a small chuckle soon turns to a full blown laugh.

"Hey come on. Why are you laughing at?" He asks sounding a little annoyed as he tries to detach himself from her but she brings him back against her to kiss him softly.

"Really it's stupid it's just something my friend Daisy told me earlier. She was spying on us back at the bar and she told me we were cute but that we were a little too _family friendly_ for her taste." She says and he arches his eyebrows at this with an amused smile.

"Daisy watches a lot of TV ... anyway I couldn't help wondering if _this_ would be adult enough for her ..." She says and now he's fully grinning.

"Well ... I would think so ... but if you need more for confirmation, I'm at your complete disposal." He says, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and they both laugh even though she's definitely not against that idea.

"That's a very generous proposition but I really need to catch my breath ... for now!" She says before giving him one last tender kiss and moving off of him.

"Bathroom?" He asks with a bashful smile as he gets up too. She smiles at how easily he can go from cocky to shy before giving him the directions to the bathroom.

In the meantime, she puts her panties back on and gathers their clothes spread out everywhere on the floor. She cannot help blushing at the memory of how wild and amazing it was. She feels a little guilty for being so loud. She did try to dial it down and even if Fitz seemed to have definitely enjoyed it, it's quite late and her neighbors might have liked it a little less. Then again, that will serve Misses Maitland just fine for using the vacuum cleaner so early in the morning.

A few minutes later, she can hear him calling her from the living room.

"Bedroom Fitz, last door on the left!" She cries to him.

When he gets in the room, he only got his boxers back on and his hair is still a bit messy. As he looks at her with a big happy smile, she cannot help thinking that she's never met someone who manages to be so adorable and so sexy at the same time. She also realizes that it's just the perfect combination to find in a man and wonders why she ever went for anything else.

"So you plan on stealing all of my clothes tonight?" He asks with a small grin as he comes to sit at the end of the bed. She has left all of their other clothes lying on the sofa but she was a little chilly and couldn't resist putting his shirt on before moving to her room, hoping he would join her there. After all, it's a known fact that someone else's shirt is always more comfortable than any of your own clothes. And it's even more true when it's the shirt of the man who just made love to you in the most incredible way.

"Oh is this yours?" She asks with an innocent smile as she suggestively plays with the edge of his shirt she has voluntarily left unbuttoned. "I found it on my kitchen floor, I thought it was mine ..."

"Oh really ... well I think you can keep it after all, looks better on you anyway." He says, looking a little flustered, her little show visibly having an effect on him.

"But really it was an honest mistake, with that sweet girly perfume on it, I didn't think it was a man's shirt ..." She says, trying to keep an innocent face and he looks at her with the best shocked look he can muster.

"Oh that's how you want to play it ..." He says, getting even closer.

"But if you're cold, you can get my dress if you want ... or my stockings, you seemed to like them a lot ..." She adds, not able to keep the teasing grin off her face anymore and he stares at her in mock offense.

"That's it, I _demand_ that you give me back my shirt right now!" He says, now crowding her space, forcing her to lie back a bit on her forearms.

"Oh you make demands now?" She asks looking at him with a toothy grin and she also smiles inwardly at the way his throat bobbles when his shirt slides off her a little revealing part of her breasts. She likes it that even after what they've done, a little skin can still have such an effect on him. "Well, if you want that shirt back, I'm afraid you're gonna have to come and get it yourself." She says, looking at him with a defiant and playful smile.

Their eyes lock for a moment and the next second he's on top of her, trying to take the shirt off of her. She tries to fight back and tells him he'll never get it back but the delighted shrieks and bouts of laughter she lets out as he tries to tickle her and kiss her to distract her kind of contradict her words.

An hour later, they both lay on her bed, breathless and panting. Fitz managed to get his shirt back from her but as it now lays on the floor, it's obvious that none of them could care less about it. As she turns around to face him, he naturally opens his arm to let her lay her head on his chest and she revels in the sweet feeling of his warm skin and the fast beating of his heart. As she lifts her head to look up at him, he looks as tired as she is but also has the softest smile on his face.

"So about that date ..." He starts and they both chuckle. "how about a breakfast tomorrow?" He says but after a look at the alarm clock indicating 4:01 he corrects himself. " ... or maybe brunch?" He asks with an hopeful smile.

"Is that your subtle way of telling me you want to spend the night?" She asks with a teasing smile but then he starts panicking.

"Oh well I thought that ... but I don't want to impose on you. I'm gonna ... and-and can I still call you at ..." He says as he's making a move to get off the bed.

"Fitz stop!" She says, pulling him back. He obviously has big self confidence issues and, even if it's kind of adorable, she really hopes that she will the occasion of helping him solved this. "I was teasing you. Of course I'd love to go to brunch or lunch or whatever with you tomorrow. Although it might be complicated because I don't plan on letting you leave this bed anytime soon. You make a really comfortable pillow." She says as she settles back on his chest before pulling the sheets on both of them.

"Oh ... good" He says, pulling her just a little closer and laying a delicate kiss on her hair.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she feels that they're both starting to drift off to sleep and she wants something off her chest before succumbing to her tiredness.

"Fitz?"

"Yeah?" He answers, his voice already a little sleepy.

"You know I ... and I hope I'm not going to scare you, but I think I really really like you." She says, timidly.

"Well lots of really stupid things scare me but not this because, however strange it may be considering we barely know each other, I like you too ... a lot" He answers without an ounce of hesitation and it makes her heart flutter a little so she lifts her head to give him a small kiss on the jaw.

"So to start things on good basis, I feel like there's something I should tell you ..." She says and he turns to look at her with a curious expression.

"You know how I spilled my drink on you at the bar?" She starts and he gives a small nod. "Well it wasn't really an accident ..." She adds and she cannot be sure if his shocked look is serious or not.

"So you almost ruined my shirt and my work on purpose?" He asks and she blushes a bit at that.

"Well it wasn't me really. I didn't want to, It was my friend Daisy who nudged me on purpose ... I didn't know how to approach you and she said it might work ..." She says and his slightly angry look turns to a grin.

"So you actually wanted to hit on me!" He says looking both pleased and incredulous.

"Well it's a bit more complicated than that ..." As much as she'd like to let him believe that it happened that way, she knows that if things get serious, the truth might come back to bite her in the ass at some point. "My friends took me to this bar to get me to find someone for rebound sex actually ... but I didn't feel like it so I chose you because you looked like the last thing you wanted was to talk to someone ... and I was right really so ..." She continues but he interrupts her.

"Oh wow, this is so flattering really ..." He says sarcastically as he starts to sit up and move away from her. "Maybe I should go home after all ..." He starts but she pulls him back.

"No please Fitz, I'm sorry, stay here. I also thought that you were really cute from the beginning and after the crying part, it took me only five minutes to know that spilling my drink on you might be the best thing I could have done tonight." She says with an hopeful smile he is quick to reciprocate.

"And I'm really glad you did ... I'm sorry I was teasing Jemma. I didn't think you'd take it seriously !" He says as he settles back into bed comfortably.

"You prat!" She says swatting his arm but still feeling relieved when he opens his arm for her to settle back against him.

"Obviously I would have liked the first story better, after all it's not often that I get hit on, but apparently I managed to change your mind and considering where we are now, I can't really complain. Of all people, you chose the one that needed exactly what you can do ... I mean the science part of course. It has to be fate or the universe !" He says and it makes her heart flutter once more to see how their minds work alike.

"Really, I should actually thank you for spilling that drink." He adds and she cannot help laughing really loud this time. 'What is it?" He asks, a little confused.

"Well ... Daisy said you'd thank me for it!" She says and it's his time to chuckle.

"Ah ... that Daisy girl is going to have a lot to answer for when we meet." he says and a big smile makes its way on her face.

"Well ... all things considered, I think she had a very good idea for once." She says as she closes her eyes and finally drifts off to sleep in his arms.

The next day, as Fitz is taking a shower before they go out for a really late brunch, Jemma checks her phone and is not surprised to see the ton of text messages Daisy has sent her since the previous night, asking how things went with Fitz in various more or less family friendly ways. Hoping it won't get to her head, she does tell her how grateful she is for making her spill her drink on Fitz. After their brunch, Fitz reluctantly goes home ... only to be joined by Jemma a few hours later. Her mind tries to remind her that they're going too fast but can one really say no to a night of cuddling, pizza and Doctor Who?

A week later, as they get out of a very romantic restaurant, talking animatedly about Fitz's engineering project, he suddenly stops walking to face her and takes her hands in his. There's an obvious nervousness to him but also something so incredibly tender that it kind of takes her breath away and she can only look back at him with just as much tenderness until he finally speaks again.

"I love you Jemma. I'm hopelessly in love with you and I know its crazy but I just couldn't wait any longer to tell you." He says, and his eyes are more intense than ever. She wants to tell him how she fell in love with him that first night and how it's only been growing since then. But right now she feels like a few simple words are all she needs to say. There will plenty of time for the rest.

"I love you too Fitz. So much." She answers and a matching blinding smile makes its way on their faces and as they fall into each other's arms, she feels like her life couldn't be more perfect than it is at this exact moment. Jemma never believed in the concept of love at first sight. It always seemed ridiculous to her. How can you fall in love with someone so quickly based on how he looks? But now she's starting to understand the concept, even though the name still doesn't feel right. She didn't fall in love with his looks that first night, she fell in love with his mind and his whole person. Is love at first science a thing? Because it should be.

Of course, when she calls her friend the next day to tell her, Daisy doesn't forget to remind her that it's all thanks to her.

Six months later, when they move in together in a beautiful apartment, Daisy very subtly reminds them that it was all thanks to her great idea of getting Jemma a one night stand. But one year later, they finally manage to convince Daisy to forget that very specific detail of their romance. However funny it is to tell that story to their friends, they don't think their parents will like hearing it quite as much on the day they get married.


End file.
